BELLOWS FALLS — Meeting Waters YMCA ran its first summer camp on a borrowed field in North Westminster in June 1965. Fifty years later, the regional Y's camps still meet a vital need in keeping kids engaged and active in the summer while providing daylong relief for working parents.
In that time, more than 12,000 area children have spent one to eight weeks of summer developing new skills, forming friendships, and making lasting memories.
On Thursday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m., Meeting Waters YMCA is holding a celebration and reunion for campers, camp staff, volunteers, and donors who have been part of the half-century of history, fun, and impact.
The event will be held at the Y's Lewis Day Camp facility on Missing Link Road in Springfield, home of its camp programs since 1987.
Executive Director Steve Fortier said the Y is proud of its 50 years of helping kids learn, grow, and thrive in the summer months.
“It's rewarding to reflect on the fact that we've been such an important and memorable part of so many young people's experiences - well, when they were young. Some are not so young anymore,” he said.
Fortier said he sees the Aug. 7 event as having two main themes: it's a reunion and a chance to thank “the many volunteers and donors who got the camps off the ground in the 1960s; those that helped us elevate our quality and impact by creating a beautiful, permanent home for our camp in the 1980s; and those that have ensured that our camp has always been accessible to all children with their donations to our Reach Out to Youth Fund.”
Fortier said he estimates that over the past 50 years, parents have benefited from approximately $1.25 million in financial assistance and subsidized services.
“A Day at Camp” will involve camp activities from throughout the years. A brief ceremony, with comments from former campers who are now parents of campers, as well as a couple of volunteers who played vital roles in developing camp, will kick the festivities off.
The evening will end with a campfire, as has been the tradition at family nights for those five decades.
Admission is free, and all are invited. Fortier said he asks past campers and staff help with outreach. He said the Y's records from earler than 1998 are spotty, and that others can help spread the word.
“If you're still in touch with a friend from camp, please let them know about the celebration. It's also listed within the events tab on our Facebook page, so people can go there and share it on their wall or invite their friends that way,” he said.